It's interesting to see another perennial insurance issue come cropping up again. This time, the Thing That Wouldn't Die is the so-called “rebating” flap. Not surprising, I guess, in these days of super-sensitivity around contingent commissions — but most of the time, the controversy takes the form of whether insurance agents and companies can give away calendars, pencils, mouse pads, and other promotional junk to customers….constitutes a form of customer bribery — or at least I believe that's the legislative thinking around it.

From the 8/25 issue of National Underwriter:

“The Iowa Insurance Department, reversing an action in June, has decided it will allow insurers to provide promotional trinkets and brochures to policyholders or prospective policyholders.

“Under the latest policy, issued as Bulletin 08-13, agents or insurers 'may give inexpensive gifts to prospective or existing customers so long as such gifts are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis and so long as the giving of the gift is not conditioned upon the purchase of a policy of insurance.'

“It replaces a bulletin issued June 30 that would have prohibited the offer of any goods or services to a policyholder or prospective policyholder that are not specifically included in the policy contract.

“The action allows insurers to continue the long-held tradition of providing giveaway trinkets at the Iowa State Fair.”

Jeez, thank God visitors to the Iowa State Fair weren't deprived of their right to fill corporate logo'ed tote bags with crap while they roamed around eating funnel cakes and watching the 4-H finals.

And that reminds me of my last venture out into the world of insurance giveaways — way back in April, when we attended the Big I convention. When my kids were small, insurance convention exhibit halls were like a free visit to Toys R Us, as long as I brought home two of everything. Today the most thrilling giveaway I can think of is at the free massage booth. Now that's brilliant marketing. The oddest giveaway, at least from that event, was the Screaming Monkey Slingshot, which once I got it home, neither screamed nor flew.

I'd love to hear from you long-time agents: What's the weirdest insurance-related giveaway you ever received, or gave away to customers?